Toccoa Police Forced to Shoot Aggressive Dogs, Says Chief

Toccoa Police Chief Tim Jarrell said Thursday officers were forced to shoot two dogs after the dogs attacked them during an incident earlier this week.

Jarrell said officers from the police department and Toccoa-Stephens County Animal Control responded to East Franklin Street on Tuesday in reference to a call about aggressive dogs.

“While attempting to locate the dogs, an officer approached a gentleman that was outside his residence,” said Jarrell. “He informed the officer that he had a small brown dog that was let out and had not returned home.”

The dog’s owner told the officer that was unusual because the dog always came when called, according to Jarrell.

Jarrell said officers then saw two large dogs attacking a smaller dog that turned out to be the dog reported missing.

He went on to say the larger dogs then came towards the officers and the officers were unable to stop them using verbal commands.

“The officers were able to keep the larger dogs at bay until the second or third time that they charged the officers and at that point, the officers were forced to have to shoot the dogs,” said Jarrell.

He said the larger dogs died as a result and the smaller dog was found to have died as a result of the attack by the larger dogs.

Jarrell went on to say that further investigation showed that the larger dogs were from a neighboring property and were running freely.

The chief said the owner of the large dogs was cited for No Proof of Rabies Vaccination, Dogs Running at Large, Vicious Animal, and Allowing Female Dog in Heat to Roam Free.